Demios the Executioner
Demios, the Executioner, is the illegally-contracted Chain of Vincent Nightray. Although not her name, Demios is commonly referred to as the Queen of Hearts by those who know of her killing technique. Vincent had a Contract with Demios long before ever having Contracting legally with Dormouse. Demios is the true Chain behind Head Hunting, as Humpty Dumpty only copied Demios to give Elliot a reason for killing his brothers. She and Vincent have successfully wiped out the Nightray bloodline, leaving only the adopted Nightray children to inherit the Dukedom. History Demios formed an Illegal Contract with Vincent at an unknown point long ago, something which Vincent knew he wouldn't be penalized for because of his previous ties to the Baskervilles (as Baskervilles can make Illegal Contracts without having a time limit on their remaining time on Earth because they are chosen messengers of the Abyss). Vincent kept Demios a secret until the Nightray family started to get too violent with Vincent and his brother. Bernard and Bernice Nightray had happily adopted both Gilbert and Vincent, but the rest of their family weren't as welcoming. Bernice's brother along with Fred, Claude and Ernest Nightray thought that Gilbert and Vincent were scum for being adopted into the family and calling themselves Nightrays. When Bernard and Bernice weren't around, Fred, Claude, Ernest and their uncle would severely beat Vincent. The situation worsened when Gil managed to form a Contract with the Chain guarding the Nightrays' Door to the Abyss, Raven. Such an honor was meant to go to a legitimate child of the Nightray Dukedom, and so the family was furious at Gilbert, as well as Bernard for allowing such a thing to happen. All that Vincent cared about was protecting Gil and keeping him happy, and so when Fred was alone in Reveille, Vincent confronted him and summoned Demios. Demios decapitated Fred, however someone had seen what had happened. When she spoke out about what she had seen, the name the Queen of Hearts came into existence based on the witness' description of Demios. Not long afterwards, Vincent had Demios decapitate Vincent's adoptive uncle as well. Before Vincent could kill Claude and Ernest, someone else took care of it for him, not only decapitating Claude and Ernest but also slaughtering the guests in the Nightray mansion during a fire that burned the mansion to the ground, and from here on there was no longer only one Head Hunter. The Nightrays were in an uproar, someone related to the Nightrays was assassinating them. Bernice lost her sense of right and wrong and began to lose her sanity when a foreigner named Isla Yura took his hold on Bernice in order to get to Bernard. Although the Head Hunter conspiracy had seemingly retired, the effect remained as four Nightrays were now dead, and so the investigation on the events carried on, though an answer was never found as to who the assassin was. Plot Re-Emergence of The Head Hunter Arc After the Sealing Stones that the Baskervilles had been trying to locate since the incident in the Cheshire Cat's dimension had been brought to the attention of Duke Rufus Barma after he found the journal of Duke Arthur Barma, who had lived 100 years ago, and had chronicled the events of the Tragedy of Sablier in his journal. Rufus had not yet informed the other three Dukes yet about the Sealing Stones, intending on keeping the information as his "trump card" over the other Dukedoms, although he did tell Duchess Sheryl Rainsworth about the Sealing Stones not long after. Rufus tells Oz, Alice, Gilbert and Sharon Rainsworth that the earthquake that had been felt in Sablier was likely from the Baskervilles destroying the first Sealing Stone, the price for this information was that Oz had to go and retrieve the Sealing Stone, since he was the descendant of Jack Vessalius, Rufus believed that obtaining the Sealing Stone would be easier for Oz. The group travels to the village of Toll to meet Grüner, one of Rufus' subordinates, so he can lead the way. Grüner leads the group through a forest in Carillon where they eventually found the mansion where the mage who had the Sealing Stone resides. Vincent, being aligned with the Baskervilles, had followed the group to the mansion, where he waited until Oz, Gilbert, Alice and Sharon had left. Vincent summons Demios immediately and before Grüner can close the door, Marie, the mage's valet, watched her master, Rytas, get decapitated. Marie weeps over the loss of her master whilst Grüner tries to understand what had happened. Soon they see a shadow, Demios' shadow. Grüner recognizes Demios as the Head Hunter and mere seconds later, Demios decapitates Marie and Grüner as well. Now that there was nothing to stop him, Vincent and Demios proceed down to the basement of the mansion, where they find the Sealing Stone. Vincent destroys the Sealing Stone and leaves with Demios before Oz, Alice, Gil and Sharon could return after feeling the tremors that were caused by the destruction of the Sealing Stone. Second Coming of Age Ceremony Arc Vincent attended Oz's second Coming of Age Ceremony at Isla Yura's mansion, and spent the beginning portion searching lower levels of the mansion with Demios for the Sealing Stone Yura was rumored to have. When Vincent returned to the ballroom, chaos soon ensues as Isla Yura's Cult begins a massacre of the party goers. After having tortured one of the members of the cult, Vincent learns of Humpty Dumpty. Vincent makes his way back towards the ballroom where he finds Xerxes Break restraining Elliot, asking Gilbert to look for the Incuse of an Illegal Contractor on Elliot's chest, as Vincent's adoptive sister, Vanessa, had just been assassinated by Humpty Dumpty. Humpty Dumpty was whom Break was told was likely the Head Hunter by Rufus, and while this was partially true, Vincent was the original Head Hunter. Vincent was one level above Break, Gil and Elliot, and he wanted to risk angering Break. Vincent saw two nearby guests and approaches them, he has Demios decapitate one of them while Vincent allows the other guest to run to the staircase and beg for help from Break, Gil and Elliot. Demios then decapitates this guest as well and runs off towards Fang and Lily, who had attacked Reim Lunettes. Vincent hoped that Fang and Lily would succeed in killing Break, but in the end they failed and Fang lost his life instead. The mansion burned down and Vincent escapes through Equus along with Oz, Gilbert, Leo, Alice, Echo, Break, Sharon and a few of the surviving orphans from the House of Fianna. Jack's Intention Arc After the event at Isla Yura's estate, Vincent and Echo disappear, as does Bernard. Vincent met up with Bernard in Reveille where Bernard demands that Vincent has the Baskervilles protect him and for Vincent to retrieve Leo from Pandora because Leo was the vessel of Glen Baskerville's soul. Vincent asks Bernard why he had put trying to regain the Nightray's dignity after it had been ruined when Duke Raymond Nightray was rumored to be a traitor 100 years ago during the Tragedy of Sablier, over his own family. Bernard tries to justify what he had done, but Vincent finds it pointless and so Vincent summons Demios and has her decapitate the two valets with Bernard. Vincent then reveals that he was the original Head Hunter to Bernard, and it was he who had killed Fred and Bernard's brother-in-law. Vincent also reveals that he was the one who broke the second Sealing Stone. Bernard tried to reason with Vincent, but Vincent is only angered by Bernard's selfishness that he seems to be blind to. Vincent was especially angered when Bernard claimed that Elliot wanted the honor of the Nightrays to be restored as well and that he would have been proud to represent the family with Humpty Dumpty, as it was what Bernard thought Elliot wanted. Vincent loses control and has Demios finally decapitate Bernard. Vincent did what Bernard said and retrieves Elliot, coming into the interrogation room at Pandora Headquarters and slitting the throat of the Pandora member in the room with Leo. Numerous Pandora members arrive and hold Vincent at gunpoint as he speaks with Leo. Vincent simply summons Demios and has her decapitate all but one of the Pandora members, leaving the remaining Pandora member as a witness on purpose. After Vincent had brought Leo to the Baskervilles' Door to the Abyss where he was officially instated as the new Glen Baskerville. Vincent, Echo and Leo attacked Oz, Alice and Gilbert in Reveille. Leo summons Jabberwock and attempts to cast Oz into the Abyss again. Gil saves Oz from the Chains of Condemnation, but Leo tries to have Jabberwock obliterate the Pandora members now interfering with the matter. Gil has Raven attack Jabberwock and while Raven fights Jabberwock, Leo wavers because of the burden of his new contract with Jabberwock. Vincent catches Leo and tells him that he would take over the fight with Raven and Gil. Jabberwock fades back into Leo's body and Demios destroys the bridge that Oz is on to separate him and Gil. Vincent points his gun at Gil and says that they should have a good brotherly fight once in a while. Raven and Demios proceed to fight while Gil asks Vincent why he was aligned with the Baskervilles, though when Vincent says that it was all for Gil's sake, Gil angrily pins Vincent to the ground and yells at him, telling him to get his own life straight and not to worry about whether Gil's happy. Oz comes back riding on Equus. Gil leaves with Oz and Alice and Raven and Demios fade back into their contractors' bodies. Later, Vincent goes to visit Break in his holding cell in Pandora's prison, however when his path is obstructed by the bars. Vincent summons Demios and has her slice through the bars preventing him from getting to Break so that Vincent is able to strike Break in retaliation for all that has happened concerning himself and Gil. Description Appearance Demios appears as a large skeletal goat-like Chain with large horns, she also appears shrouded in a tattered red robe, which casts a shadow in the shape of a woman. This is where she got the nickname "Queen of Hearts" from. She has large skeletal wings that are as sharp as knives, and this is what Demios uses to decapitate her victims with. Personality Although Demios' personality has not yet been explored in depth, her personality in a generalized sense seems to mirror Miranda Barma's own personality, as both share an obsession with decapitation. As well, Demios often recites a nursery rhyme about the Queen of Hearts in a rather psychotic manner, which seems similar to Miranda's own psychological imbalance. Powers and Abilities *﻿Decapitation *Human Speech Gallery Demios 2.jpg|Demios at Rytas' mansion Demios Shadow.jpg|Demios appears at Oz's Second Coming of Age Ceremony Assassination 1.jpg|Vincent uses Demios to intimidate Bernard by killing his valets 81 - 4.jpg|Vincent uses Demios to enter Break's holding cell Appearances (*) - Denotes that the character did not appear physically, but as a part of other characters' memories Trivia *Demios appears to be referenced to numerous characters from Alice in Wonderland: #Her appearance is a possible reference to The Goat, whom Alice met on the train in Through The Looking Glass and what Alice found there, who's beard melted off. #Her method of murder also matches The Executioner, a character mentioned only once in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Also, Demios is a Greek word for "executioner", written as "δημιος." #Finally, Demios is a reference to the Queen of Hearts because that is the name many know her as based on a description from someone who witnessed Fred Nightray's murder (as she appeared as a tall woman in a tattered cloak seemingly obsessed with decapitation), as well as the poem she often recites: "The Queen of Heats made some tarts, all on a hot summers day. The Knave of Hearts, he stole those tarts, and the mad Queen screamed: OFF WITH HIS HEAD! OFF WITH HIS HEAD!" Navigation Category:Characters Category:Female Category:Chains Category:Baskervilles Category:Abyss Category:Illegally Contracted Chains